Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to Kyrgyzstan on Thursday to discuss a wide range of issues related to the countries' bilateral relations
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th March, 2019) Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to Kyrgyzstan on Thursday to discuss a wide range of issues related to the countries' bilateral relations.
Diplomatic relations between Russia and Kyrgyzstan were established on March 20, 1992. On June 10, 1992, the Republic of Kyrgyzstan and Russia signed the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Moscow. On July 27, 2000, Russia and Kyrgyzstan signed the Declaration on Eternal Friendship, Allied Relations and Partnership.
Russian-Kyrgyz relations are underpinned by about 160 interstate and intergovernmental treaties and agreements.
Kyrgyzstan is Russia's strategic partner and ally in Central Asia. The Russian-Kyrgyz multidimensional cooperation is characterized by similar approaches in international and regional affairs, and by a strong focus on the development of Eurasian integration processes.
Russia and Kyrgyzstan have been intensively developing contacts at the highest level.
On February 28, 2017, Putin paid an official visit to Kyrgyzstan. He held talks with then Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev. They discussed issues relating to the Russian-Kyrgyz cooperation in the political, economic and humanitarian areas, and the prospects for expanding cooperation within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union. A number of cooperation documents were signed following the talks.
On June 19-23, 2017, Atambayev paid a state visit to Russia at Putin's invitation. On June 19, Putin and Atambayev held an informal meeting in the Kremlin. Talks at the highest level were held on June 20. The parties discussed relevant issues of bilateral relations. A package of inter-ministerial cooperation agreements was signed following the visit. Putin and Atambayev signed a Declaration on Strengthening the Alliance and Strategic Partnership between Russia and Kyrgyzstan. During the visit, Atambayev also met with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
In 2017, Putin and Atambayev also met on September 14 in the Russian resort city of Sochi and on November 17 in St. Petersburg, as part of Atambayev's working visits to Russia.
On November 29, 2017, the new Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov came to Russia on a working visit. This was Jeenbekov's first foreign trip after he assumed the office on November 24, 2017.
On May 14, 2018, Putin and Jeenbekov met in Sochi on the margins of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council's meeting.
On June 14, 2018, Jeenbekov paid a working visit to Moscow.
During the talks at the highest level, the leaders of Russia and Kyrgyzstan discussed relevant issues of bilateral cooperation. Jeenbekov also attended the opening ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Moscow.
The next meeting of the two presidents was held in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe on the sidelines of the meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on September 28, 2018.
On February 9, 2019, an informal meeting between Putin and Jeenbekov was held in Sochi.
Prime ministers of the two countries are actively involved in the dialogue.
On February 2, 2018, Medvedev met with Kyrgyz then-Prime Minister Sapar Isakov in the Kazakh city of Almaty.
On June 1, Medvedev held talks with Kyrgyz Prime Minister Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev in Dushanbe on the margins of the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State.
The next bilateral meeting between Medvedev and Abylgaziev was held on July 27 in St. Petersburg on the sidelines of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council's meeting.
The cooperation between the foreign ministries of the two states is developing dynamically. Russia and Kyrgyzstan are also developing inter-parliamentary cooperation.
On February 3-4, 2019, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov paid an official visit to the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, where he was received by Jeenbekov and held talks with his Kyrgyz counterpart, Chingiz Aidarbekov.
Russia is one of Kyrgyzstan's leading trade and economic partners.
In 2017, according to the Russian Federal Customs Service, Russian-Kyrgyz trade amounted to $1.6 billion. Russian exports totaled $1.4 billion, while imports reached $206.1 million.
At the end of 2018, the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries totaled nearly $1.9 billion, including $1.63 billion in Russian exports and $248.3 million in imports.
Russia's Primary exports to Kyrgyzstan are mineral products, food products and agricultural raw materials, metals and products made of them, chemicals and others.
Russian imports from Kyrgyzstan include metals and products made of them, textile goods and footwear, machinery, equipment and vehicles, food products and agricultural raw materials and other goods.
The Russian-Kyrgyz Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Humanitarian Cooperation, which was established on October 10, 1997, continues its work. On March 1, 2019, it held its 21st meeting in Bishkek.
The practical work of the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund started in 2015. An agreement, which regulates its activities, was signed on November 24, 2014. The fund was set up to promote the modernization of some economic sectors in Kyrgyzstan.
The gas industry is one of the key areas of the bilateral economic cooperation. Pursuant to the 2013 cooperation agreement in the field of natural gas transportation, distribution and sales in the Kyrgyz Republic, Russian energy giant Gazprom is working to ensure the republic's gas needs are provided for.
An important part of the overall relationship between Russia and Kyrgyzstan is military and military-technical cooperation. The United Russian military base is located on the territory of Kyrgyzstan. The base includes four installations, such as Kant air base, test base of the Russian Navy on Lake Issyk-Kul, navy communications center in the village of Chaldovar and an autonomous seismic station in Mailuu-Suu.
On June 19, 2018, the treaty between the Russia and the Kyrgyz Republic on the development of military-technical cooperation, which was signed in Moscow on June 20, 2017, entered into force.
The priority areas of cooperation in the humanitarian sphere are education, culture, strengthening of the positions of the Russian language in Kyrgyzstan.
The program of cooperation for 2018-2020 between the Russian Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Culture, Information and Tourism of the Kyrgyz Republic is being implemented. In 2016, the Days of Russian Culture and the Russian Cinema Week were successfully held in Kyrgyzstan. The Days of Kyrgyz Culture in Russia took place in June 2017.
Ties in the educational sphere are being strengthened. The most important role in this regard is played by the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, which was opened in Bishkek in 1993.
Since June 2011, the Russian Center for Science and Culture has been operating in Bishkek. In December 2016, Russian foreign cooperation agency Rossotrudnichestvo opened a branch of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in the city of Osh.
